Persona Geass
by Snowgem33
Summary: After his death, Rolo's is given the opportunity to go back and prevent Lelouch from becoming the Demon Emperor of Britannia. But can he, of all people, truly make a difference? Or will he end up making matters worse?
1. The Velvet Room

Rolo groaned as he returned to consciousness. His whole body felt lethargic, but any sign of the pain he'd been feeling previously was mysteriously gone. _Am I in the afterlife? There's no way I could've survived that much usage of my Geass._

A sudden flash of pain shot through his skull and suddenly he was bombarded by images behind his still closed eyes. _Lelouch smiling at him as he handed his "little brother" a white box, which would contain the first and only birthday gift Rolo had ever received,_

 _The look in Lelouch's eyes as he "promised" to help Rolo capture C.C. and to never lie to him_ _,_

 _The rage and insanity plastered all over Lelouch's face as he revealed the harsh truth to his so-called brother,_

 _The shock, desperation and an alarming lack of the determination that had always been present, as Rolo tuned out his brother's desperate pleas to **Just let me die!** as he carried out his first, and seemingly last, decision as an actual person -_

The pain returned, as a stronger, pounding thud. He gasped, clutching at his head, and rolled over onto his side before curling into a ball. He kept his eyes closed in case there was bright light... _wherever_ he was.

"Ugh, why isn't Margaret back yet?" An unfriendly sounding feminine voice complained. "He's starting to wake up."

"Margaret and Theodore have business to attend to for the foreseeable future, so you will be my main assistant until further notice." A man's voice, mysterious but not unfriendly like the woman's voice had been.

There was grumbling, then a rushed "ShutupIhateyou,youstupidjerk!"

Strangely enough, the sound of their voices seemed to be making the pounding in his head lessen. Rolo groaned again, but with the pain not as strong as it was before the instinctive desire to clutch at his head (as if that would somehow make the pain cease) was rapidly fading, he slowly let go of his and discreetly began to feel around himself for clues about his location and perhaps his situation the the man and woman kept talking.

"So, are you going to explain why this place is so homey, at least? Or do I have to wait until he leaves for that explanation?"

"All in due time, Marie. For now, the fate of our guest is top priority."

StupidIhateyoujerk!" "Marie" mumbled. Then she sighed reluctantly. "We know you're awake. I don't know what you've gone through and I don't care, but the Nose wishes to speak to you so please don't waste his time." Her tone was still unfriendly and clearly reluctant but had a strange unsureness, as if she barely had an idea what she was doing.

Seeing as how he was in a unknown place and wasn't even alone, after _dying_ , Rolo reluctantly followed the demands of the unknown woman. He opened his eyes, blinking until his vision cleared. He was met with the sight of a rich royal blue wall. Glancing down, he discovered he was on a bed big enough for only one person that was the same color as the wall. Ignoring his remaining lethargy, he pushed himself to sit up and faced the direction that the voices had come from. The sight that he was met with made him gasp in shock, unwilling to blink in case he missed some sign of trickery.

The room he was in was a near exact replica of his room back at the Geass Directorate... Very nearly. Ignoring the obvious shade of blue that nearly everything in sight seemed to be, several objects that should only have been found in his room at Ashford Acedemy were scattered around as if they belonged there. Another weird addition to his old room was a mannequin about his size and shape that displayed a Black Knight's styled uniform. Further inspection revealed it to be the same one he wore when he helped Lelouch and the Black Knights massacre the Geass Directorate. Directly in front of him was a expensive looking small table. What was on it made his eyes bug.

There was absolutely no way it was the real thing...yet his heart and mind unanimously agreed that the chessboard in front of him was clearly Lelouch's. What was almost even stranger was the arrangement of the pieces on the board. Both Black ( _Lelouch, C.C., Black Knights)_ and White _(Britannia, Kururugi, V.V.)_ had been positioned to surround a lone, spare pawn that was the same shade of blue as nearly everything in the room. Seeing this caused a strange tugging sensation in his heart that he could apply no reason to.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room. My name is Igor; I am the proprietor of this place. This is my temporary assistant, Marie." The male voice spoke up.

Rolo's eyes jerked from the chessboard to the people on the other side of the table. Sitting in a chair was a bizarre old man with a long nose, pointed and bulging, bloodshot eyes. He wore a black suit with white gloves. Standing beside him was a teenaged girl with pale skin, chin-length brown hair and gray eyes. Her face was slightly made up, having shadowed eyes and light pink lipstick. Her outfit consisted of a sleeveless white shirt, a black tie with various safety pins and a checkered skirt along with a black belt and a fancy, golden buckle which resembled a heart with wings. Additionally, she had black striped red protective sleeves and black striped white stockings . She carried a deep blue bag adorned with golden designs and wore a matching officer's cap with a golden button and a V gravure. She also wore a a red chocker necklace with a lock.

Forgetting his bewilderment, Rolo narrowed his rosy eyes at the both of them. "Why am I here?" He demanded. "Why am I still...?" He couldn't help but trail off, but continued to glare at the strangers.

"You aren't exactly alive as you are at this moment, but neither are you truly dead." "Igor" replied cryptically.

Rolo's eyes narrowed even further. "What does that mean?"

Igor reached into his suit and pulled out a deck of tarot cards. "This world exists in between dream and reality, mind and matter. Generally speaking, only those who have forged a contract can enter."

At the rate things were going, Rolo's eyes were going to be scrunched shut. "I don't recall agreeing to such an arrangement."

"Such is the state of this room." Igor gestured vaguely around the room. "Your heart and mind are in conflict over what others want of you... _and what you truly want yourself_."

Rolo inhaled sharply then exhaled. _Is that why looking at Lelouch's chessboard brings such an odd feeling?_ He quickly glanced down at the board before returning his gaze to the bizarre man in front of him.

Igor chuckled. "I could grant you a remedy to your problem."

Rolo scowled. "What's in it for you?"

"The solution for my problem is the same as yours; the world around us has devolved into tyranny and inequality strong enough to permanently damage, if not destroy, the collective unconscious of humanity. There is a way to mend everything, but as things stand now, it would be at the cost of great sacrifice."

As cryptic as the man continued to be, Rolo caught onto what he was implying. He slammed his fists down onto the table, oddly not disturbing any of the pieces on the board. "What happened to my big brother?!" He demanded.

Igor placed the tarot cards on the table. He placed a few of them face-down in a circle and then placed one card face-up. Rolo wasn't familiar with Arcana at all but there was no mistaking the card that had been left face-up: Death.

Suddenly, an image similar to that of a hologram sprung to life above the face-up Arcana. The image depicted Lelouch smirking malevolently, wearing an Emperor's robes, sitting in the throne of his father. His purple eyes were both marred by the symbol of his Geass. Beside him stood former childhood best friend and archenemy, Suzaku Kururugi. Kururugi's face was blank but his eyes held the same amount of malevolence that Lelouch's did.

Rolo felt like crying. "Big brother, what happened?" He muttered. His stomach churned unpleasantly as disappointment, confusion, betrayal and anger coursed throughout him. He closed his eyes to prevent any tears from escaping and bowed his head, hunching awkwardly over the table from his spot on the bed. Abruptly, anger won the fight and Rolo's fists slammed down on the table again. Still, none of the chess pieces were so much as jostled, as if they were glued in place.

"If you did this... Then what was the point of my decision to save you? What does that mean for me...? For you...?"

"You can prevent any more damage from being done."

"H-huh?" Rolo reluctantly looked opened his eyes and glanced at Igor, remaining hunched over the table.

"You are neither dead nor alive in this moment- if you wish to help the one you care about most, you will be allowed to return. But if you so choose, you could easily pass on from reality and forget anything ever happened. It's your choice to make. Choose wisely."

Marie watched her "boss" with narrowed eyes. Igor was being far more direct than usual, if only even by a bit. She was more confused and suspicious than she'd been when the strange rosy eyed boy appeared.

Rolo meanwhile pondered the offer given to him. Lelouch was his big brother, the first and only person he genuinely cared for in his entire life...and Lelouch used him like everyone else did. Even after his death; Lelouch was using the gift of continued life Rolo had decided to give him to seemingly bring harm to the people he once declared he'd protect, for _her_ sake. The thought of Nunally coming to mean just as much to Lelouch as he did, even after all the attempts to kill her, to replace her, despite the fact she and him were both dead, caused something unpleasant to stir in his gut.

 _Did the betrayal of the Black Knights so soon after her death truly cause you so much distress that you'd lash out at innocent people? What's Kururugi's role in this? Was there a way to prevent this?_

Rolo clenched his fists. "Let me fix Lelouch's errors. I care about him to much to let him destroy himself."

Igor chuckled once more. "Your journey will sure be an interesting one. I look forward to it."

Before anything else could be said or done, Rolo's lethargy returned full force. He quickly found it difficult to keep his eyes open anymore. It wasn't long until he fell into unconsciousness...

* * *

 **It's done! It's finally done! (Rather quickly, to be honest.) Man, who knew Marie's outfit was so complicated?**

 **I really doubt I got Igor in character this time around but practice makes perfect. I'm a bit iffy about Rolo but who wouldn't be a bit overwhelmed if their first real decision in life killed them, only to learn the person they sacrificed themselves for seemingly became the most evil person in existence?**

 **Big thanks to AleizonAilix. They (I don't was to assume your gender) were a big help in developing this chapter. I doubt I actually would've developed the courage to so much as write this even if never posted it. I hope that they like this and wish for their continued support. (You should check them out, if you haven't already. They write brilliant What-if scenarios and just as good Gino/Lelouch fanfics.)**


	2. Dawn of a New Day

A sleepy groan was heard from the occupant of the only bed in the room as he slowly regained consciousness. He barely had his eyes open when he was assaulted with images from a previous timeline.

Most people would try to put everything off as a weird dream. Most would hope that no matter how detailed and intricate their _dream_ was that nothing in the first twenty-four hours of their wakefulness would even remotely resemble the _dream_ they had. Rolo hadn't been one for such futility before he met Lelouch and he had yet to pick up a taste for it. The rapidly receding headache and lethargy only helped convince him that everything was real.

With another groan, he pushed himself to sit up and get out of bed. He couldn't resist the urge to give his room a good once-over...or rather, _Nunally's former room_ , supplied a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like an enraged Lelouch. Rolo frowned but didn't cease his observations. He did halt, however, when his eyes landed on his obligatory calendar.

 _What day is it, anyway?_

Being an assassin, his internal clock and calendar were of utmost importance, even though watching over Lelouch was the first time they had really been put to good use. However, as he glared at the offending item, he wished he'd at least had enough foresight to actually mark the calendar so he could easily gain the information he needed. As it was, his internal clock and calendar were both out of wack after everything that happened, and he had a feeling it would take some time before he could safely rely on them.

Looking at the calendar wasn't a total waste, though. He at least knew what month it was...the same month Lelouch regained his memories. With that information, he narrowed his gaze onto one day in particular. It would be beneficial if that bizarre old man had sent him to the same day Lelouch awakened, or hell, even before then. But, he still needed confirmation before he did anything serious.

Almost robotically, having done so many times before that he didn't need to think about it,, he went to his dresser and retrieved his "diary".

 _"You know one day your going to have to show me what you're always writing in there."_

 _Rolo flinched and tore his gaze from the book he'd previously been jotting down Lelouch's activities in to look at Lelouch. He wasn't supposed to do so in front of Lelouch, as his so-called "big brother" might one day decide to play Keep-Away with it to tease his "little brother" and might get curious (or lightheartedly sadistic) enough to read it's contents, not to mention it contained sensitive information in general. Recently though, such worries had not occurred to Rolo, as he instinctively thought he would just use his Geass in the event that happened. Internally, he frowned, gut stirring unpleasantly with the worry that had been mysteriously absent lately. What was wrong with him these days?_

 _Outwardly, he merely blushed and feigned the inability to maintain eye contact out of embarrassment. "If I wanted you to know I would tell you instead of writing it down." Rolo muttered shyly._

 _Although he wasn't directly looking at Lelouch, he could tell the darker-haired brunette's expression had softened. When Lelouch got up from his seat Rolo instinctively slammed the "diary" shut and hugged it against his chest, looking every bit like the socially awkward, shy but eager to please younger sibling that he'd been to Lelouch since the day the older boy's memories had been tampered with. The pen he'd been using clattered to the floor, abandoned and forgotten. When Lelouch finally stood by his side the older boy wrapped his arms around the assassin and pulled him closer than the supposed diary in Rolo's hands. The blush adorning Rolo's face became more real and a light, cheery feeling invaded his heart. This only made the worry in his gut deepen. Seriously, what was up with him lately?!_

 _"You can tell me anything. I am your older brother and I will never abandon you." Lelouch whispered in his ear, his hot breath sending shivers down Rolo's spine._

 _Those words caused a large mixture of pleasure and turmoil inside Rolo but he didn't let even a hint of it show. "I know that...but you still aren't going to read my diary anytime soon." Rolo replied, softly at first but teasingly at the end._

 _Lelouch chuckled, smiling broadly. He let go of the young assassin and held his hands up in mock surrender, as if such things had actually been on his mind. "Alright already, I give up." He joked._

 _In spite of himself, Rolo couldn't help but smile at the former terrorist leader's behavior..._

Rolo shook his head to clear his mind of memories but the ache in his already shattered heart persisted. Ignoring the emotional pain, Rolo opened the book and flipped to the last entry. _So it is the day of Zero's long awaited return._ Rolo thought as he observed the prior day's content. That fact was both good and bad for him. If he had been brought back even a week at the least, he may have been able to find C.C. or Kozuki or whomever else was loyal to Zero and not locked away by Britannia and convinced them of his loyalty to Lelouch, if not his recent hatred of everything Britannia stood for. Or he could've used his Geass to free the captured Black Knights (disguised, of course) and figured out things from there. But it wasn't as if not having such opportunities was bad for him in anyway. He could let things carry out like they had except he could be upfront with Lelouch about the whole "taking Nunally's place" business and perhaps avoid killing Shirley and attempt to actually be interested in "saving Nunally"...Rolo shuddered.

Without another thought he closed the book and placed it back in the dresser. In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best hiding spot for such sensitive information but he had an actual desk with a drawer to throw any would be thieves off. And besides, Rolo thought indignantly, the other agents watching Lelouch had a similar book that they wrote nearly the exact same information he himself did by watching through the cameras or stalking the unaware teen.

He could hear the sounds of Lelouch moving about outside of his room, which wasn't good because Rolo always made sure to be awake and ready for whatever may come that day long before Lelouch woke up, and wouldn't it look suspicious that the first time Rolo had ever (even accidentally) slacked off from this routine was the day that Zero returned?

As quickly as he could, Rolo got ready for the day (taking a few moments to steel himself for the drama to come) and met Lelouch at the table for a small breakfast.

As he entered the room, Lelouch blinked owlishly and then smiled teasingly. "I don't remember the last time I was ready before you."

 _That's because it's never happened before. Not that you would have memories of such an event, in any case._ Rolo thought viciously, surprising himself with his own vindictiveness. Where had that come from?

Pushing aside the matter for now, he shrugged and feigned a yawn. "I didn't sleep well last night." The lie came effortlessly, though he wondered if it was real a lie at all. Because he seriously doubted whatever technique that bizzare old man and his reluctant assistant had used to send him from "The Velvet Room" to the past could truly qualify as "rest" in any case.

Lelouch's smile turned sympathetic. "Be careful not to fall asleep today." He cautioned in a warm, loving tone (that for some reason made Rolo's gut wrench along with the pleasant reaction such things usually caused). "I've got a match today and I've got the perfect strategy to escape from Coach Nu."

 _I almost forgot about her. It'll be easier dealing with her this time around._

Rolo smiled back, innocent and sweet, and began eating his breakfast. He thought back to the first time this day happened. A thought occurred. "Big brother, is it possible to cheat at chess?" He made sure his tone was uncertain and hesitant and deliberately hunched his body and feigned more interest in his food than his older brother's reply.

Lelouch frowned. "There shouldn't be. If my opponent tries anything I'll figure something out." Without his memories, without knowledge of what was to come, Lelouch thought his words were reassuring.

Rolo merely corrected his posture, looked his so-called brother in the eye and smiled just as sweetly and innocently as he had before. "I believe you can, big brother."

* * *

 **It's done! Chapter 2 is finished! I was having trouble deciding were this chapter should end but I feel like this is a good place to stop.**

 **Thanks for all the favorites, follows and the review!**

 **If you haven't already, please check out AleizonAilix! She's still just as brilliant of a writer as before and is a major help in figuring out some "problems" I was having. (Especially the whole Live Command vs Time-Stopping/Future-Telling Geass situation.)**

 **Please Note: At this point, I'm not going to be very focused on pairings, even if they are cannon. That MAY change in the future. But for now, there will only be hints that you need to squint and tilt your head to see.**


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